Southern California -- this just in

Border Patrol dog finds big meth load in San Diego County

August 19, 2011 | 8:21
pm

A Border Patrol drug-sniffing dog is being credited with helping uncover a load of methamphetamine worth an estimated $470,000 at a checkpoint on Interstate 8 near Pine Valley in eastern San Diego County.

The federal pooch was sent to sniff a 2000 Volkswagen Jetta after the driver's nervousness made agents suspicious. The dog gave a "positive alert" to the car's rear bumper, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Inside the bumper were 30 bundles of methamphetamine weighing 23.5 pounds, with a street value of $470,000, officials said.

The driver, a 38-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested. She was on supervised release stemming from a felony drug conviction at the time of the arrest Thursday, officials said.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Bundles of methamphetamine found inside the car's bumper. Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection.